A 40-year-old Stony Plain man is one of 28 suspects worldwide charged after a massive global child sexual exploitation investigation by the Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service, says Alberta's joint police force.
Norway's Operation Torch led to the arrest of the suspects in 14 countries, with investigators alleging those charged obtained material depicting child sexual abuse using cryptocurrency to pay for access to dark web forums, says the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT).
The man from Stony Plain, 42 km west of Edmonton, was arrested at his by ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit on May 27, the agency said in a Wednesday morning news release.
Investigators say the 40-year-old paid for access to the dark web service and accessed child sexual abuse materials.
Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service ( NCIS ) on July 8 announced it had identified suspects worldwide who had paid for access to child sexual abuse material.
Operation Torch is ongoing with coordinated efforts from global law enforcement agencies making arrests in Canada, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania and Sweden.
"We have collaborated closely with law enforcement services in 13 other countries in order to coordinate the arrests of the identified users of the forums using this cryptocurrency as the required method of payment," Police Prosecutor Terje Michelsen of the Norwegian NCIS said in a statement.
Rocco Caterina is charged with possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.
He has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on July 15.
Caterina is the son of former Edmonton city councillor Tony Caterina, said ALERT spokesman Mike Tucker.
Tony Caterina, a councillor from 2007-2021, failed in his run for the mayor's seat last fall. His son also ran for a council seat in 2017 but failed.
Anyone with information the Norway operation or related cases is encouraged to local police or Crime Stoppers (1-800-222-TIPS).
ALERT, established and is funded by the Alberta Government, is a compilation of provincial law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.
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